I was in the grocery store the other day and came across this magazine cover.

Huh? Pork is considered clean eating now? These "buzz" phrases are getting out of hand. 

When I think of clean eating, I imagine fresh fruit, leafy veggies, grains and lots of water. Dairy, eggs, and meat don't come into mind at all. I don't even think of flour or sugar when I think of clean eating (even though I eat plenty of it).

Maybe I'm the delusional one here?  It's sad because a lot of people want to eat right but companies are spending billions of dollars to confuse everyone into thinking that the majority of the junk we eat is clean. To me, there's nothing clean about eating lamb or pork pumped with antibiotics and growth hormones.  Or drinking/eating dairy that is filled with cow's pus and blood.

According to this article on Huffington Post, "Clean eating is a diet program based on the idea that the best way to eat is to abundantly enjoy whole foods -- that is, foods as close to their natural state and you can get them. This means eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins instead of pre-packaged, processed foods or fast food. Clean eating is also committed to replacing saturated fats with healthy fats. Many on the plan don't count calories, but instead trust in good quality, healthy food."

The bottom line is, stay as close to the plant as possible.  It gets no cleaner than that. :-)

If you haven't already, check out these awesome books and documentaries on whole foods & the food industry:

Food Matters  (available on Netflix Instant)

By Any Greens Necessary

Food, Inc.

Skinny Bitch

Fat Sick & Nearly Dead  (available in Netflix Instant)

Forks Over Knives (available on Netflix Instant)

What's your definition of clean eating?